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Definition of dominant seventh in US English:

dominant seventh

noun

Music

The common chord of the dominant note in a key, plus the minor seventh from that note (e.g., in the key of C, a chord of G-B-D-F). It is important in conventional harmony, as it naturally resolves to the tonic or subdominant.

‘The noble falling fourths, echoed by the piano, re-establish the tonic key unambiguously, the bass triads wavering between tonic D majors and first inversions of the dominant seventh.’

‘The progression is based around mostly minor chords, and anything major is followed by a dominant seventh.’

‘When one reduces the musical texture to its harmonic frame, four dominant seventh chords remain, of which only the last one is resolved in G minor.’

‘One piece includes blues-like flatted thirds written as D-sharps and a few later pieces involve E-flat and B-flat accidentals that suggest dominant seventh harmony.’

‘This is an odd turn of events, since it wasn't all that long ago that the phrase ‘musical meaning’ either referred to formal properties - is this chord a dominant seventh or a German sixth, and how do we know?’